


The Hazards of Codeswitching

by Carmarthen



Category: The Eagle (2011)
Genre: Codeswitching, Drabble, Language Kink, Languages and Linguistics, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-20
Updated: 2011-05-20
Packaged: 2017-10-19 14:59:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/202118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carmarthen/pseuds/Carmarthen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes a very nice sentence in one language sounds a lot like a very rude sentence in another, as Esca finds to his chagrin. Yes, it's a linguistics joke drabble. Rating for a single slightly bad word, sigh.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Hazards of Codeswitching

Esca says it in British because when he tries Latin the words stick in his throat: _Tū esi mon stercā, ā Marce._

Marcus's eyes widen and he stiffens, baffled hurt in his face. "I am your... _shit?_ "

Esca can't help it, realizing the misunderstanding. He drops his head to Marcus’s shoulder, laughing. Finally Marcus laughs too, with the hesitant edge of a man who missed the joke.

"Oh, Marcus," Esca says. "I am sorry, but I didn’t expect you to wear _that_ expression when I finally confessed my love."

Marcus smiles, taking Esca's hand. "I…suppose I should learn British, then."

**Author's Note:**

> I blame Sineala for pointing out that to Marcus, the closest we could come to Brittonic for "You are my love" ( _Tū esi mon stercā_ , near as we could figure out) might sound an awful lot like Latin for "You are my shit" ( _Tu stercus meum es_ ), especially if Esca is mumbling. Marcus probably would not react to this declaration quite the way Esca expects.
> 
> Thanks to Sineala and Celzmccelz for helping reconstruct the Brittonic sentence as well as possible from the available information; any remaining errors are mine. The Brittonic may be wrong; we don't know much about syntax and I'm not even sure if _stercā_ is the non-abstract noun "beloved," the abstract noun for the concept of "love," or both. But it's the best I could do under the circumstances.


End file.
